The present invention relates in general to a portable wide-view mirror apparatus for right blind-side backing of a vehicle with an attached trailer, and in particular to a portable wide-view mirror apparatus for right blind-side backing of a semi-tractor trailer unit.
Mirrors are used to help a driver back a trailer in nearly all situations. Mirrors assist the driver by allowing the driver to see blind spots which the driver cannot see by looking rearward from the drivers seat out either the drivers side window, the passenger side window or other rear windows if present and offering an unobstructed rearward view.
Backing maneuvers with a trailer can be time consuming and dangerous. This is most particularly true in a right-side backing maneuver when the right side mirror's view becomes blocked by the turning trailer and no longer provides visual assistance in backing. The period of right-side backing which takes place from the time the trailer begins blocking the right-side mirror and while the right rear of the trailer remains out of the driver's view from any mirror or window, is known as a right “blind-side” backing maneuver.
Left-hand backing maneuvers are not typically considered blind-side backing maneuvers for most vehicles because even when the trailer turns at an angle which blocks the left side mirror, the driver need only turn his head and look out of the left side window for a rearward view to complete the backing maneuver. This allows the driver to see the left rear side of the trailer for the entire maneuver by using the left-hand mirror and driver's side window.
Interior rear view mirrors may be used in most passenger vehicles to help prevent right blind-side backing, but they cannot be used in instances where the rear window of the vehicle is obstructed or non-existent. Semi-tractor trailer units are an example of vehicles which are expected to have an obstructed rear view, and which therefore do not come equipped with interior rear view mirrors, and are not equipped to prevent blind-side backing.
For right blind-side backing maneuvers, where the driver is without the help of some type of blind-side backing equipment, the driver then is required to get out of the truck and check the progress frequently. In a moderate to tight right blind-side backing maneuver the driver may need to get out of the truck every few feet and walk around to the right side of the truck to view his progress, then decide what, if any, corrections need to be made, walk back around the truck, climb back into the cab, back up a few more feet and then stop, climb back out, and check on his progress again. This can turn what would be a simple parking maneuver, with the appropriate visual feedback, into a stressful, risky and time consuming ordeal. An alternative method has a second person stand on the right side of the truck where the driver can see that second person, and the second person relays information on the backing procedure to the driver. Under this circumstance the driver must rely on the accuracy of the information being relayed to him by the person directing him, since he has no visual feedback of his own, and this can again be a risky proposition for the driver.
Numerous patents have been developed to aid a driver in a right blind-side backing maneuver. Some prior art allows the exterior passenger-side mirror to be manually adjusted to keep the right rear corner of the trailer in view. The driver must still stop often, leaving the driver's seat to readjust the exterior mirror, which is still time consuming, but he does not then need to rely on another person to direct him. Some prior art allows the exterior passenger-side mirror to automatically position itself so the driver can see the rear corner of the trailer and obstacles continuously during right blind-side backing maneuvers. These systems are fairly expensive and must be installed onto the semi-tractor. They also do not provide a wide-angle view of the entire rear half of the right side of the trailer, due to their distance from the driver and practical limitations on the width of exterior side-view mirrors. None of the prior art is portable. None of the prior art uses an interior dash mounted mirror system which is within reach and thereby directly and easily adjusted by the driver while remaining in his seat. None of the prior art is inexpensive enough to allow the equipment to be purchased and used by the driver, who is ultimately responsible for safe backing procedures. Most of the prior art depends on investment by the trucking company to modify their trucks and equipment to employ the prior art mirrors or blind side backing equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,738 issued Mar. 3, 1981 to Linkous is an exterior mounted manually adjustable mirror apparatus to assist tractor-trailer drivers in backing maneuvers. This mirror apparatus cannot be adjusted from the driver's seat. This mirror apparatus is not portable and is designed to replace the original equipment semi-truck mirror, making it impracticable for a commercial truck driver that is not an owner-operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,297 issued Dec. 26, 1992 to Summers is an exterior mounted self-positioning mirror apparatus complete with an electrical system to allow repositioning the mirror during right-hand backing procedures. It is not portable and is also designed to replace the truck OEM semi-truck mirror, making it impracticable for a pick-up truck owner or a commercial truck driver that is not an owner-operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,792 issued Oct. 1, 1991 to McDonough includes an exterior fixed and moveable mirror. The moving mirror moves on a signal from the blinker switch. This mirror is not portable and would also replace the existing OEM mirror and would need to be tied into the truck electrical system. This level of complication makes it impracticable to be owned and used by a commercial driver.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,519 issued Feb. 17, 2004 to Kierstead uses a video camera mounted to the exterior of the cab and a video monitor mounted on the dashboard to allow the driver to view blind spots on the right side of the trailer for general driving. This system will also provide assistance in blind-side backing maneuvers. This vehicle monitoring system is not portable and would appear to be quite expensive. It will also not provide as large or clear of a view as a wide direct reflecting mirror.
Most trucking companies don't use any of the prior art devices for one or more reasons. New trucks are either bought or leased and self-positioning mirrors for blind-side backing do not come as standard equipment due to excess additional cost.
Another industry feature that makes the blind-side mirror a higher priority item for the driver than the trucking company is the manner in which loads are picked up and delivered. Trucking companies make money when loads are delivered on time and without incident. The driver makes money when the truck is moving down the road. Trucking companies will sometimes pay the driver a flat fee for picking up or dropping off a trailer. The fee doesn't change for drops that take five minutes or thirty minutes. As long as the load is on time, the company earns the contracted amount of money blind-side backing maneuvers that take longer because the driver must continually get out of the truck to see the trailer and obstacles, cuts into the earning potential of the driver more than the trucking company. Therefore, making safe and quick blind-side backing maneuvers is a much higher priority for the driver than it is for the trucking companies.
What is needed then, is a blind-side backing apparatus which is simple and easy to use from within the passenger compartment, which allows the driver to quickly and efficiently perform a right blind-side backing maneuver, which is portable so that the driver may easily move it from vehicle to vehicle, and which is inexpensive enough that the individual commercial truck driver can afford to own it for use in whatever truck or trucks he must drive on a given day, and so that trucking companies can afford to purchase them on a fleet wide basis.